A/N: This is definitely not a romantic getaway (I'm serious).

Happy (belated) May the Fourth! This chapter is set right before the start of the Annual #3 comic. For those unfamiliar with it, Han and Leia are scouting a potential base but they get lost in a cave with "angry teeth beasts" and then bounty hunters show up. This isn't meant to be canon-compliant, I just liked the setting. The dish comes from the EU book "Honour among thieves", which I've wanted to use almost since the beginning of the series for reasons. It also turned into a bit of an homage to Peter Mayhew and our beloved Chewie. We're getting closer to ESB so things are turning undefinably weird between Han and Leia!

I think I need to lighten up the tension and I will. I hope. If you're enjoying this series, consider leaving a comment!

X. Sahbiye

'So this,' Leia said, opening her arms to encompass the desolate landscape before them, 'is your brilliant secret lair?'

'It's not "my lair"?' Han grunted, coming down from the Millennium Falcon 's ramp behind her. 'Welcome to Odona, Princess.'

Leia threw him a wary look before stepping down into the dusty land and examining their surroundings. Here and there, crumbling stone structures rose from the ground, looking even older than the Massassi temples on Yavin IV. Massive pillars and half-standing statues guarded the dark mouths of the caves Han had pointed out as one of the key features that made Odona the ideal planet for a new military base.

It hadn't been easy to relocate after Yavin. Dantooine had been the Alliance's first headquarters, and they had lasted a whole two years there. On Yavin IV, it had been a year and a couple of months. Afterwards, they had split and moved between their other, smaller bases, but this arrangement kept their forces too scattered across the galaxy to launch any major attacks. Leia had hoped that destroying the Death Star had been an opening, a victory important enough to let them strike at a weakened Empire until it fell—but while they'd had a few more wins, they seemed to never make much of a dent. She hoped that would change if they could find a base large and isolated enough to safely concentrate a large number of troops.

Han had mentioned that one of Odona's polar continents was an abandoned rock with a maze of caves favored by pirates and smugglers to escape Imperial detection, and that it was big enough to establish a new base. The only problem, he'd said, was its extreme weather.

Leia and the rest of High Command had decided it was worth checking out, and that it would be more practical if it was just a small team going in and out quietly. If it was risky, it would be easier to get out. The idea had been to have a commander accompany Han and Chewbacca to Odona. Han had insisted he wouldn't take any other rebels on his ship but Luke or Leia—and Luke had been away on a different recon mission. When she walked into the Falcon , Leia passed Chewie on his way out. For some reason, the Wookiee was not going with them.

'The weather is nice,' Leia commented. The pale blue sky was mostly clear but for wispy clouds, and the morning breeze was pleasant. Nothing seemed to hint at a treacherous climate.

'Yeah, for now,' Han warned. 'You got layers?'

Leia assented; he had insisted on the vitality of wearing layered clothes and carrying warm coats besides.

'Let's go,' Han said, and closed down the Falcon before they set out towards the nearest cave, rucksacks on their backs.

They did the trek in silence. Things had been strained lately, more so than usual. Generally, she and Han had a disagreement that became a loud blowout, they spent a few days avoiding each other, then she'd go and ask him to run a mission or he'd invite her and Luke to his ship after dinner and things would go back to normal. For some time, they hadn't even fought, only bickered, which often turned into friendly banter. Han made her laugh—genuinely laugh—and, surprisingly, he could keep his mouth shut when she just wanted to share a drink with someone and not talk about anything—although they often ended up talking anyway. He was also one of the best partners she'd ever had in the field.

Something had shifted recently, though, and she couldn't put her finger on what or when it had happened. It was closer to the way they were in the beginning, except back then, she hadn't cared much whether he stayed or left for good. Now, there was a tension between them while they fought, as if there was something fragile on the line, ready to come crashing down at the slightest wrong maneuver.

The last time they fought, Leia was so angry afterwards. They had been cooking together, talking—she was sure he'd even shared something very private with her—and suddenly he was getting up in her space, acting like he was trying to pick someone up in a bar. When she had pulled back from whatever the hell he had in mind, he'd walked away from her and left her with half a dozen star fritters to finish and a kitchen to clean.

'Are you sure these structures won't fall down over our heads the minute we step in?' she asked as they stood on the threshold of the cave, dark and jagged like the maw of a waiting beast.

'If they ain't fallen down in a snow storm, they won't fall down now,' Han said, surveying the antechamber-like space that narrowed down into a tunnel. He took his blaster from its holder and turned on his flashlight, then motioned for her to follow. 'C'mon, get yours.'

Alarmed, Leia drew her blaster and asked, 'Already?'

'Just in case we need to clear this out.'

'I was under the impression there were no living beings in this continent.'

'Well, you know what happens when you assume things,' Han said in a tone too flippant to be genuine. Without waiting for her, he crossed the chamber and stepped into the tunnel.

Leia hurried to follow, annoyed.

'So just to be clear, what kind of beings can we expect to run into?'

'Hopefully none.'

'Will you cut out the crap?' she snapped with an angry huff, tugging at the collar of her shirt. It was no wonder she'd started to feel hot: besides the flush her irritation at Han induced, she was wearing a jacket, a long-sleeved shirt and a tank top underneath.

Han stopped and turned to give her a tired look.

'Look, Princess, we can stand here fightin' about what hypothetical creatures might live here or we can get on with the recon and worry about them when we have to. If we have to,' he added.

'You should know by now that the way we operate is, we lay down all the intel we have on a planet before we get there,' Leia retorted, glaring at him.

'I don't have any intel!' Han raised his arms in exasperation. 'It's just stupid rumours!'

He glared back, his jaw tight, and then he breathed out forcefully.

'It's been years since anyone's seen them—no one I talked to was sure they even exist. If you gotta know, some folks talk about big blobs covered in eyes and teeth lurkin' in these caves. Never met 'em myself. See why I didn't think to mention 'em? They're probably a myth, no more'n that.'

It was hard to decide whether she was relieved by Han's assessment that the creatures were likely to be a fantasy, or worried by their description in case they were real, but at least he was being honest.

'Let's move,' she said, with a nod, and began to walk.

The deeper they went into the cave, the hotter it felt. If Leia didn't know better, she would have believed they were walking straight into the planet's core.

'Are there… thermal pools nearby or something?' she asked, taking off her jacket. Han did the same.

'No, this ball's just starting to heat up.'

Less than twenty minutes later, the cave felt like a furnace.

'Kriff,' Han said, wiping off his sweaty brow with the back of his wrist. He stopped and took off his vest, then pulled his shirt over his head and stuffed both of them inside his rucksack. 'You'll wanna lose some layers.'

Silently, Leia thanked the heat for justifying her blush. After stripping off, Han was left wearing a plain white vest that clung to his skin in all the right places. She'd seen him wearing less, but that didn't mean she underrated the image in front of her. And just like she was watching him, wouldn't he watch her if she took off her shirt? Leia wasn't vain, but she wasn't oblivious to her features, either.

'I'm fine,' she said, and kept moving forward, pointing her flashlight at crevices she feigned interest in.

It was far from fine. Her clothes stuck to her armpits, her back and belly, and she felt as if even her hair was starting to sweat. They were rationing their water: she couldn't afford to dehydrate just for the sake of her… modesty or whatever ridiculous nonsense was keeping her fully clothed.

Slowing down discreetly to fall behind Han, she dumped her rucksack to the ground and stripped off her shirt, tying it around her waist. It was inevitable that Han turned to check on her when he noticed she was lagging behind, but Leia looked straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge his expression.

The cave seemed all right... at first. Her instruments didn't register radiation or poisoning elements. If Han was right about them being frequently beaten up by storms, then he also had to be right in thinking they were solid enough to not crumble down on them. It seemed that the weather (or perhaps something else) did take its toll on them, however: here are there they began to find sections where the roof had caved in and huge rocks blocked the passages, forcing them to take a different route.

Leia was growing concerned. The cave was more labyrinthine than either of them had prepared for. Han kept insisting that he would not get them lost, and she wanted to believe him, but they'd had to stray off the main tunnel and had taken so many twists and turns, she couldn't be sure she'd know which way they had come. She'd taken out her handheld navcomp, but it was having trouble reading the complex terrain. On top of it, the heat was almost suffocating. It was getting on both their nerves.

'It gotta be that way,' Han said.

'Why? Because that rock seems more promising than this one?' Leia snapped as they stood at a crossroads.

'Because we don't know which one to take so we might as well go that way and see!'

'So if I say let's take this tunnel instead, you'll follow?' she asked, raising her eyebrows.

'No, 'cos you're just bein' difficult.'

'Oh, really? I'm being difficult just for suggesting a different route than the one you pulled out of your ass? How manly of you.'

'I'm just sayin' that's not what you want!' he said, refuting her accusation with a raised finger.

'What do you know about what I really want, Han?' she spat out. She knew she was blowing things out of proportion, but she was tired of the encompassing darkness of the cave, of its confusing bowels, of the perspiration that covered her head to toes, and she was tired of letting Han lead this dance around each other.

'Guess I don't have a kriffin' clue!' Han groaned in frustration and turned around. The tired sigh that followed seemed to discharge him of his anger, and when he spoke, it was in a measured tone. 'Alright, why don't we stop for a bit? Let's take a breather and have a bite, and then we'll discuss which way to go.'

She resented that his alternative to taking her route was basically to let her cool off so that they could go the way he wanted. She wanted to keep yelling at him even if she wasn't very clear on what exactly to yell at him about. The diplomat in her reasoned that she couldn't know that was his plan, and that he was proposing a truce, so she should meet him halfway.

Taking a deep breath, she slid her rucksack off her shoulders and sat down without a word.

'You said you'd pack lunch for both of us,' she said dryly. 'I hope you remembered, or else—Force help you.'

Han snorted. 'Some faith you have in me, Your Worshipfulness.'

He sat down on the ground next to her, their bare arms brushing. Leia bit down on her lower lip to keep a shiver at bay while Han took out a portable cooler out of his bag, and retrieved a smaller container.

'Sahbiye,' he told her, pointing at a mix of soft green leaves and meat bathed in a golden sauce. 'Chewie made it. Haven't been cookin' much myself 'cos the thermpad's been actin' up more'n usual and it drives me crazy, but he said he'd make this for us—uh, well, actually for you .'

'For me?'

'You hadn't tried his sahbiye yet, he said. He doesn't make it very often. He must like you, Princess.'

'That's very kind of him,' Leia said, taking the fork he offered her. She speared a piece of meat and scooped up some greens, and took a bite. The flavours were rich and comforting, making her tension ease up a little.

'That's Chewie. Can't shake 'im off once he's decided to look after you,' Han told her. 'Even though you weren't very kind to him, in the beginning,' he added.

Leia frowned in confusion. 'What are you talking about?'

'You called him a walking carpet. When we were tryin' to get outta the Death Star.' Han looked at her. 'You don't remember?'

She shook her head, then raised an eyebrow at him. 'I was a bit too preoccupied with other things at the time as to remember everything I said to anyone.' Leia looked away for a moment. 'It wasn't anything personal. I didn't expect to get out of there alive, and when the possibility seemed real, I wanted to get back to the Rebellion at any cost, because maybe—maybe I could help them when I—'

When I couldn't help Alderaan , she thought, but she couldn't say it out loud. She looked at him again. 'So I'm sorry if I was a bit—'

'Pain in the ass?' Han asked through a mouthful of sahbiye.

She made a face that meant "don't push it", but nodded. They'd never talked about it, about what had happened in the Death Star (except for Ben Kenobi's mysterious, sudden death) and about those less than ideal first impressions. The day had seemed a blur to her afterwards, an overwhelming, deafening whirlwind of experiences, most of which she wanted to forget.

'Even if I don't remember what I said, I am sorry to have treated him badly. There's no excuse,' she said.

Han shook his head. 'Not me you have to apologise to. Chewie's probably forgotten, anyway.'

'Maybe, but I hope he knows how much I appreciate him. He's a good fighter… and a better friend.'

'And a great cook,' Han added.

'I wholeheartedly agree.'

A chilly breeze swept through the cave, and she put her fork down to rub her arms. 'Is it cooling down or am I imagining it?'

'Weather's turnin' fast. That's how it is around here.' Han put on his shirt again and set his jacket and parka out next to him in preparation.

Leia looked at him in disbelief, but she too re-dressed herself as the gust of cool wind on her damp skin had given her goosebumps.

'We should get outta here in case there's a snowstorm,' Han suggested, standing up and packing their things.

The crossroads still lay before them, two different paths to choose from, each with their own undiscovered possibilities.

'So, which way?' Leia asked, turning to look up at Han.

'Back the way we came,' Han said gruffly. 'Can't be worse than anything else.'